Alternate Paintings
by Ergelina
Summary: She used to be the sunshine, always smiling and laughing. She used to be everyone's friend, even Naruto's first official one. And yet, no one knew the true Nana that was lurking behind the scenes. No one knew the deal that had been made on her birth. No one knew of the monster she was created to become, nor about the spider web she was trapped in...
1. The Academy

**Alternate Paintings  
****Naruto Shippuuden fanfiction**

**Description: **

She used to be the sunshine, always smiling and laughing. She used to be everyone's friend, even Naruto's first official one. And yet, no one knew the true Nana that was lurking behind the scenes. No one knew the deal that had been made on her birth. No one knew of the monster she was created to become, nor about the spider web she was trapped in...

**Chapter 1: **_The Academy_

**AN: **

Another Naruto fanfic that has been in my mind for a long time, and yet, I didn't manage to write it down until now. I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does – all I own is this specific fanfiction and unrecognized OC characters. Nothing else.

No beta.

Disclaimer: I don't belong Naruto, just my own character Nana and unrecognizable events.

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* * *

**.**

_Konoha was peaceful._

.

Bright, and currently sparkling, amber brown eyes stared at the confused and slightly scared sky blue ones, reflecting her inner curiosity towards blonde boy around her age. Uzumaki Naruto blinked at the sudden appearance of this strangely happy looking plum purple haired girl, who's been staring at him for around the last eight minutes. Behind the girl, Naruto noticed a sleepy looking Nara Shikamaru and constantly eating Akimichi Chouji, both of them watching her with a bored and surprised looks respectively.

"…What are you doing, Nana?" Shikamaru's tired and lazy voice drew out, voicing almost everyone's, who had noticed Anzai Nana's odd behavior, thoughts out.

Amber brown eyes blinked, slightly startled turned to look at Shikamaru – shining with brightness and seemingly never ending happiness, "I'm trying to figure out why everyone hates Naruto."

There was a stunned silence, and an involuntary flinch from the boy in the question.

"…Huh?" Shikamaru tilted his head, rubbing his ear as he thought of having heard wrongly.

"And did you figure it out, Nana-chan?" Chouji asked, munching chip after chip, having come to know the girl as well as he knew Shikamaru thus he could tell that she wasn't fooling around like the bystanders thought.

Half of their classmates had stopped to see what was going on, not so silently whispering between themselves about the antics Anzai Nana was up to now, while the rest of the class didn't care for as long as it involved Uzumaki Naruto, that weird outcast. Then again, it was completely normal for this slightly strange plum purple haired girl, so normal that Shikamaru sighed and muttered something that sounded awfully a lot like 'troublesome' before dragging his feet towards his seat.

"Nope!" Nana replied, smiling almost blissfully at one of her closest best-friends, Chouji, before turning to look back at the still confused Naruto; her reply earned an actual eye-roll from Shikamaru. "But he's interesting!"

Naruto blinked, "...Interesting?"

He had heard stories about this strange Anzai Nana, and had seen her approaching people she found interesting or good enough to talk (or in some cases to bother), however, he had never expected that she would actually, quite possibly, decide to include her into her group of not-so-small friends. Was this…his chance…to have a first…friend he's been longing to have?

"Yup!" He could swear that Nana's amber brown eyes were made up of twinkling stars, making him to back away a bit. "Wanna be friends?" Nana added, offering him a hand to shake, wearing that big and warm smile.

Naruto blinked, blinked and blinked before looking at Chouji, who shrugged and stated that he's gonna see what Shikamaru's doing, then back at Nana and almost caused the two of them to crash on the floor as he hugged the girl. His blue eyes were filled with water, indicating that he's about to cry from happiness of being accepted by someone that wasn't the old man Hokage.

Nana blinked, almost yelped at the sudden hug, as she clearly felt Naruto to tremble in happiness as he kept saying, "Of course! You're my first official friend – no! Best-friend!"

_How long have I wanted to call someone a friend…?_

It was a strange reaction, then again, maybe not so strange considering that Nana's seen the way villagers and children treated and shunned Naruto from a positive human contact – she often saw how lonely and sad this blonde haired boy appeared to be, whenever he thought that no one was watching. Chuckling, she comforted Naruto by saying that it was alright and that she wasn't joking or anything of the sorts all while sending a pleading look at half-asleep Shikamaru to get blue eyed kid off of her for as she started to feel lack of oxygen with her face slowly turning into an interesting mixed color of blue and very light purple.

.

_I'll let you know that at that time I would've sacrificed everything to protect you from the horrors of the real world._

.

A few weeks later, Nana was starting to reconsider the idea of having the now slightly obnoxious Naruto as her friend due to his more than annoying habit to always follow her wherever she went. She knew why he acted like this, and yet, even so Nana couldn't help but to be dislike that side of her newest friend. It was not a secret that Shikamaru had grown annoyed of Naruto's loudness, never actually going out of his way to talk with him on his own accord – he had even, more than once, mentioned how troublesome Nana's habit of randomly picking kids to make new friends with.

Just before Uzumaki Naruto, it was some kid name Rock Lee – and Shikamaru thanked god (or whatever was up there) that Nana hadn't bothered to introduce Lee and Naruto to each other yet, he would never admit it, but Shikamaru was slightly scared of the outcome should the two being introduced.

_Chaos. _

That's what the result of such action would be.

It was already annoying enough to think something out in order to avoid Nana, and now Naruto, landing up in detentions all the time (not that he could do much to help Naruto seeing as the teachers seemed to hate him for whatever reasons).

Then, without a warning there was a way too loud of metal sound crashing against the ground, making Shikamaru and Chouji to unwillingly jump in their seats in the classroom.

Cue another disastrous prank from the pranking duo, Shikamaru thought with a sigh as he turned to look at the now high-fiving duo of plum purple and orange blond haired snickered before sneaking to their respective seats.

"I'm not gonna help you with this one, Nana," Shikamaru stated, rather boldly as he watched Nana to accept a potato BBQ flavored chip from Chouji, wearing an expression of boredom.

She shrugged, giving him a dead-panned expression in return, "Ah-so," her voice wasn't bothered or annoyed, simply tired, before it turned into one that was void of emotions, making Shikamaru slightly nervous. "It doesn't matter, not anymore."

"Nana-chan?" Chouji questioned, pausing in his eating as he eyed one of his two best-friends looking more serious than she usually did. It only ever happened, when something was wrong or when she was upset. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her _'not anymore'_ part, however, he didn't bring it up. He knew better than to pry into Nana's business, he had already done it once and got the deserved response from the plum purple haired girl.

As a response, Nana gave them her brightest smile before she burst out into laughter as their teacher, Iruka, entered the classroom and fell straight into the tap that was set up by both Nana and Naruto. He stood there, covered with a flour and syrup from head to his toes. The familiar vein on his head was threatening to explode as Iruka knew exactly who the culprits were, and why they had picked him. The fact their laughing voices were the loudest was also a definite hint of them being the ones, who set this quite clever prank up.

"NARUTO! NANA!"

Shikamaru grimaced at the loudness, he preferred silence over noisiness. And he couldn't help, but to notice the lifeless look in Nana's eyes as she stared at the scolding Iruka, who announced two weeks of detention.

To Shikamaru, Nana's laughter sounded _fake_ and _hollow._

.

_If I could, I would've loved to stay by your side and watch you guys growing up, to be there and support you along side._

_._

"Are you Anzai Nana?"

Her plum purple hair flew with the wind as an ANBU agent suddenly appeared in front of her, making her to blink in surprise and amazement. The agent wore mandatory purple set of uniform, a red fire symbol on his right shoulder, along with a mask that reminded her strongly of a bear with red and green lines. His voice was carefully void of unnecessary emotions, carrying only the one that indicated he wasn't one to be messed with.

"Yes," her reply was soft, almost defeated.

She had known the day would come, her care taker had told of the arrangements the higher ups had made on her birth. Nana was born for one reason: to become a useful tool for Konoha. She had known it all, being intelligent enough to keep up with Shikamaru in their contests, whatever they were, much for Chouji's amusement. She had known it might not have been a good idea to make friends, when she wouldn't be allowed to graduate with them, however, something inside of her had snapped at the very thought.

"I've come on the orders of Danzo-sama," Nana closed her eyes, the dreaded day had arrived, feeling her heart breaking at the thought of having to leave her friends behind.

She couldn't know when was the next time she would see them, if ever.

"I understand," the agent looked up at her with surprised look. "I've been briefed of the details by my care taker."

_By the one who was supposed to act like my parent, _Nana thought grimly, clenching her fist as remembered her first initial reaction to the news. The end result had been destroyed living room and madly crying Nana, stunned care taker and several ANBU agents, who had arrived to restrain her.

It happened two weeks before she befriended with Naruto, and she didn't do it out of kindness or pity as Shikamaru and Chouji thought. She did it, because Nana was selfish. She wanted to know how it was to feel to be friendless, an outcast. Hence why she had befriended the lone Uzumaki prankster.

"Do you want to say goodbyes?"

Should she? Was she actually allowed?

Nana glanced at the park, where she was supposed to meet up with her group of friends, who were all there – waiting for her. She played with the thought of going there and doing exactly what Danzo was expecting her to do – tearful goodbyes with some screwed up lie about her being adopted by her long distance cousins in Otafuku.

She closed her eyes, turning her back to the park, extending her hand to the agent, who accepted it without a word.

"It's not necessary," _it was – to her._ "We're merely classmates, nothing more." _My best-friends – my rock to keep me from drowning. _

The pair stood there for a while, she hadn't noticed that one of her _'classmates' _had been listening the whole time, however, ANBU agent had. It was why he had asked her the very question, wanting to give this six years old girl a chance to fully let go of her past.

_At that time, I wanted to do nothing, but to run straight into your arms – crying and swearing that I'll never leave any of you, that we'll stay __**together**__._

_But I didn't._

_I am a coward._

_._

"She's gone?" Naruto's voice was hollow as he stared at Iruka, who had announced Anzai Nana pulling out of the Academy and moving to Otafuku city with her new parents.

The class was in shock, none of them had imagined such a thing would happen – that she would actually leave them. Shikamaru and Chouji sat there in stunned shock, both eyes widened and frozen in their seats. She hadn't said a word to anyone, not even her closest group of friends.

"I'm sorry," Iruka really was sorry.

The Academy had lost one of their brightest students, and one who had lots of potential to become someone great, perhaps even Hokage if she so wanted. His eyes glanced over the people Nana had associated the most, and his heart broke at the sight of Ino and Hinata crying, Shikamaru's and Chouji's frozen states, Kiba's stunned expression and…

_Naruto's reaction was the most heart-breaking one. _

"I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, feeling tears forming in his blue eyes. "SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE US WITHOUT SAYING A WORD, DATTEBAYO!"

_But she did._


	2. Shadow of ANBU

**Alternate Paintings  
****Naruto Shippuuden fanfiction**

**Description: **

She used to be the sunshine, always smiling and laughing. She used to be everyone's friend, even Naruto's first official one. And yet, no one knew the true Nana that was lurking behind the scenes. No one knew the deal that had been made on her birth. No one knew of the monster she was created to become, nor about the spider web she was trapped in...

**Chapter 2: **_The Shadow of ANBU_

_Well, I don't know how, but the thing I hold – dies._

_Am I being rejected by the world?_

_For betraying my 'friends?_

"Asani! Reizo!"

A blurry shadow appeared in front of Shimura Danzo, solidifying into a young teenager with plum purple hair, wearing a mask of rat with red and green lines along with a full ANBU Root gear set. Next to her was a boy at her age, not wearing his mask that concealed their identities for as there was no need for it. His hair was dark black, short and taken care of, and his eyes were just as dark colored as his hair.

There were no emotions on his pale face.

"Yes, Danzo-sama?" Both questioned at the same time, a female's and boy's voices.

"I'm assigning you both to a mission."

She looked up, curious of what kind of mission would require both hers and Reizo's presence, when they were presented with an envelope for each of them to take. She knew the contest was different in each envelope, and concealed only for the receiver's eyes.

No one else.

"In this mission, your codenames will be Anzai Sai and Nana, two long-lost relatives," her eyes widened at the mention of the names, while Reizo just nodded in confirmation.

Her body had frozen in shock, unwanted memories of her past started to force their ways back into surface. Closing her eyes, she nodded, "Is there a reason for…?"

"I've made it so that both of you will be new additions to the Team Kakashi in which the Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura are members of – both whom I believe are your old Academy classmates, Asani."

She could feel Reizo's eyes on her, or Sai as he was now called, and Danzo's hidden warning; and she couldn't help but to stiffen. Those were the names she hadn't thought for…years.

"I'm expecting excellent results from both of you, by the time your missions are finished," Danzo continued, earning two 'yes' as a response.

_I have truly landed myself in a hell._

_All I can hope is that I won't succumb to it._

She decided to go with Sai and let him 'play' with their new team-mates, and incidentally her old best-friends…this term had become foreign for her. It had lost the meaning it used to held to her, hence why she didn't jump out to protect Shikamaru, Chouji and Naruto from Sai's 'attacks'.

_You've gotten strong, while I've stayed weak._

Nana had heard of rumors about Naruto's rise in the Shinobi world, about his success of defeating Suna's Jinchuuriki during the Chuunin Exam's invasion now almost three years ago. She cannot remember her reaction to the news as her fellow comrades in the Root discussed it, not bothering to hold back their surprises of Kyubi's Jinchuuriki being capable to do such a thing, when he was supposed to be dead-last in his class.

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

She winced, clapping her hand together and formed a certain set of seals, which resulted in a wood to grab the obnoxiously loud Genin's leg and throw him into the air, yelping and screaming like a girl. Sai's Chakra indicated his displeasure of her interference, when she had stated the opposite before his painted lion first attack on the Konoha trio, and couldn't help but to take a sick pleasure in this.

"Wh-What?!"  
"Mokuton?!"  
"A reinforcement?"

She made certain that her face was covered, along with her plum purple hair, before appearing next to Sai, earning several different reactions. If she had been honest, Nana would've admitted that Naruto's reactions were – as always – the most _interesting _and _amusing_. There had been times, when she had screwed things up with the kid just to see him _reacting_.

"I thought you said you'll leave it to me," Sai stated, still holding a Kunai from when he had been keeping Naruto back, voice eerily emotionless.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, both of his hands set in a seal as shadows crept up towards the roof the two unknown figures stood. One was cloaked in a slightly familiar ANBU gear set, even the brown cloak was the same, while the other hadn't bothered to hide himself.

The figure made a sound, one that felt uneasily _too _familiar.

"The idiot's too loud for my liking," Shikamaru's and Chouji's eyes widened as they both had sinking feeling that they should know this person – girl – that appeared to be an ally of their attacker.

The pale boy chuckled, a humorless one, "You say that now, and yet, you used –,"

"YOU BITCH! LET ME GO!" Naruto just _had _to pick the time to shout, still trapped in the wood that refused to be cut – that kept swinging him like a swing in the air, much for his growing anger.

"…I'm heading to the rendezvous place, before the idiot ends up giving me _another _headache," the ANBU agent stated, her voice way too familiar to the two members of Team 10, lifting her hand before disappearing with a flash.

Just as she did so, Naruto, who was released from the wood's hold, fell onto the ground with a heavy thump.

_Ne, I wonder how would you react should you discover just how hollow and broken I've become? Would you still accept me as one of your comrades? _

_Or would you reject me like everyone else?_

They officially met up in the rendezvous place a few minutes later.

Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto were already there, waiting and discussing who their new additions were as everyone _they _knew had been unable to join in their quest to get information from Orochimaru's spy. They hadn't noticed _her _watching them from the shadows, while waiting for a right moment to come out.

_For the world to be once more shattered_.

"I see that everyone's gathered," Nana opened her eyes, unaware of when she had fallen asleep, something she seemed to be capable of doing less and less, as of recently.

"Um, Yamato-taicho was it?" Sai spoke, and her ears hurt at the fakeness of his words. "I believe we're missing a member, are we not?"

There it was, his infamous _fake _smile.

"Huh?"

"A fifth member?"

"Who is it? I do hope it's not another jerk-face, like this (cue the pointed thump at Sai on the courtesy of Naruto) guy is."

She took this as her cue to reveal herself, and without a warning, she re-appeared behind Naruto, effectively making him to yelp in surprise and shock. Nana had removed her black cloak, revealing now the same attire Sai was – her plum purple hair was visible for everyone, especially as it freely fell over her shoulders, almost reaching her ankles. She hadn't thought to cut her hair, something Danzo had more than once suggested in doing.

"W-Wh-What do you want?!" It was soon followed with a realization as Naruto appeared to remember her mask. "You're the one with that bastard from earlier!"

"How about you remove your mask, miss?" Yamato suggested, taking a notice of the tension in the re-arranged Team Kakashi. He could almost _feel _Naruto thinking of getting payback for whatever happened earlier, and Sakura would support him – there was little to no doubt about that.

There was a hesitant movement, before the girl's hand went to her rat mask. However, Yamato had a feeling that he shouldn't have requested this girl to remove her mask as it earned stunned reactions from both Naruto and Sakura. The two froze, eyes widening into the sizes of big plates, neither could believe who it was that they were seeing.

"My name's Anzai Nana, and from today on I've been assigned to temporarily join Team Kakashi, along with my cousin Sai."

_Her words were cold – lifeless as were her amber brown eyes. _

_It lacked of the **life **they had seen in the Academy, one that made her to be the envy of females and target of admiration of boys. _

_She was no longer sunshine, rather she resembled to that of a wilted flower._

"So, I suppose, you've gotten a good idea of who that idiot is."

"Indeed, I have."

"And your conclusion?"

"He's a dickless idiot, who won't be able to bring Uchiha Sasuke back."

She blinked at his bluntness, before turning to look at the second blonde that had joined Shikamaru and Chouji, making her heart to give another painful lurch. _Just how many of my former 'friends' am I forced to meet?_

"I don't know about him being a dickless, but I do know he's not a threat."

Sai glanced at her, before chuckling, "I wonder how he'll react if I call him so?"

She shrugged, before turning away to head towards the rendezvous place, "He'll probably yell you into deafness, I wonder how many times I've become deaf 'cause of him."

"…Nana?"

She hummed, glancing back at Sai for a moment, "You better not fail."

"That was supposed to be my line, baka."

_No past, no name, no identity, and no future – all you exist is for a mission._

* * *

**AN:**

Um, as you'll probably realize it - I've given codenames to Sai and Nana that Danzo gave them before they joined Team Kakashi. While Nana regains her name, "Reizo" is given the new name "Sai". As Kishimot hasn't revealed Sai's real name (neither his Root's code name) to us yet, I'm free to name him however I please.

I do hope this chapter hasn't been confusing, as I don't wanna follow the story from word to word or from action to action. It _will _be a story with short, but hopefully descriptive enough to allow such chapters.

Pairing: undecided, might go into SaiXOC as originally planned or ShikamaruXOC. SasukeXOC isn't out of question either. Meaning - I might do the pairing according to the reviewers wishes.


	3. The New Formation of Team Kakashi

**Alternate Paintings  
****Naruto Shippuuden fanfiction**

**Description: **

She used to be the sunshine, always smiling and laughing. She used to be everyone's friend, even Naruto's first official one. And yet, no one knew the true Nana that was lurking behind the scenes. No one knew the deal that had been made on her birth. No one knew of the monster she was created to become, nor about the spider web she was trapped in...

**Chapter 3: **_The New Formation of Team Kakashi_

_I'm drowning, I know that I am._

Those reactions.

She hadn't quite expected them, not really.

"...Nana-chan?"

Sakura's hesitant inquiry, _broken one_, as her emerald green eyes appeared to be staring into the deepest spots of Nana's soul. Or at least, pinkette might have _attempted _to do so as an act of figuring how if the person in front of them was real or an imposter.

But she had _known _them to be coming, Danzo had _warned _her of it as well, knowing full well of her past connection with her new team. She hated to be standing there right now, and emotionlessly staring at Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura.

_I am a wall you must overcome in order to survive._

"Nana?"

Naruto's uncertain question broke her heart, almost. Nana could remember more than well those _broken _sapphire blue eyes, looking at her with indescribable hope and sadness that no words could explain. Danzo had 'gifted' Nana with the knowledge of Naruto's full past, one that the kid himself didn't fully know.

She knew his heritage and who he held inside of him.

And couldn't help but to think: _this deal wouldn't have happened without your existence. _

"I take it that you're Hatake Kakashi's replacement, _Captain Yamato_," Anzai Nana turned to the ANBU member pretending to be a normal Jonin, her were eyes calculative and cold.

Yamato nodded, still watching his newest students, carefully and subtly. He had been briefed by Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, about having two ANBU Root members, however, it wasn't like Tsunade had known _who _exactly Danzo had chosen for the mission. For it to have turned out to be _Anzai Nana, _Yamato was taken aback. Even he had heard of one of the brightest girls in the Academy before she disappeared, apparently going to Otakufu with her new family.

"Indeed I am," Yamato replied with a small fake smile, deciding to keep his guard up while around the two ANBU Root agents.

One small mistake might turn out to be a fatal one, considering it was Danzo he was dealing with.

Nana's hand reached to her back-bag, pulling out some kind of scroll before offering it to Yamato, "This is from Danzo-sama," Sakura's eyes widened slightly, having heard from her Teacher about the man. "He would like you to teach me a few things as specified in it."

The way she had spoken let them to know that she wasn't happy with the…order. Sai smirked, knowing exactly that Nana _hated _having to resort to ask for a help to be taught how to control her _gift_ (as Danzo had put it, although Nana called it annoying Ninjutsu ability).

"And why's that?" Yamato raised an eyebrow, accepting the scroll which instantly opened itself to his touch, finding it strange and unheard of Danzo wanting his agent to be trained by someone else than his own trusted agents.

_What's the point of struggling, when you know you'll fall?_

"You're a Mokuton-user, are you not?"

Nana was blunt, that was one of the traits she had allowed to stay within her. She was also observant, which was why Nana could _feel _Naruto staring at her with demanding and _slightly _frightening silence.

"I believe you would know the details once you read the scroll," Sai remembered the envelope that Yamato pulled out from the scroll, it was the one Danzo had given his 'distant cousin' while briefing them on their mission.

One for him and second for Nana.

_The question, however, is – are you going to let someone to save you from themselves?_

_Are you going to let someone **in** to save you?_


End file.
